By the Turtle-Duck Pond
by marchofmay
Summary: - ON HIATUS - They sat in silence by the turtle duck pond until their time together ran out. [Post-Avatar. What if Zuko and Katara had ended up together? A telling of Zuko and Katara's lives until old age.]
1. Grow

Zuko could not believe his luck.

For that was what it must have been. To have been able to defeat Azula. To have survived that lightning strike. It was luck.

Or maybe it was just Katara.

He looked at her now, his chest still aching something terrible. But he was full of adrenaline, full of hope that perhaps they could come through this. Hope that Aang would be okay, that he would do what he had to do. That Sokka, and Toph, and Suki, and all of his new friends were going to be alright.

Katara looked to him, and the blue of her eyes seemed darker in the dim light of the day. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Zuko knew that she didn't have to voice the words. He could read them in her eyes. But he was grateful for the distraction that conversation would bring.

With a nod, he looked out over the ruined courtyard of the palace. Azula had been taken away, immobilised and subdued by her defeat and subsequent breakdown. Zuko was glad that she was out of sight.

He distracted himself with Katara again. "Are _you_ okay?" He asked. Even now, as he took in her face, he could only think back on the fight that had just occurred. He had saved Katara's life, had jumped in front of Azula's lightning without a second thought. And she had healed him. She had saved him, too.

"I'm fine, Zuko." Katara offered him a tight smile.

He knew why she was so worried, for the fate of their friends worried him as well. He turned to the palace, "We've done our part, Katara."

He was grateful when she turned to join him. He didn't think he could enter this palace on his own.

They wandered through the empty hallways, darkened by the lack of natural light and the absence of the servants that usually frequented the halls and lit the sconces.

Katara walked a little closer to him and Zuko felt her arm brush his. He remembered the weight of her hand on his chest, healing him. Somehow he could not shake this strange feeling he had. Like he owed her something.

He didn't though, and he knew that. He had saved her life and she had saved his.

"It's so gloomy." She whispered, her voice echoed down the high-ceilinged corridor they were currently walking down.

"Outside." He murmured, more to himself than to her.

Zuko led her through his childhood home until they reached the covered walkways that ringed the garden where his mother had so often brought him.

Of course he would come back here. He almost laughed at his own predictability.

"The gardens?" Katara asked.

He nodded and stepped down into the grass. Instantly, his feet began the journey across the lawn towards the pond. He sat down, cross legged on the stone rim around the water. The turtle ducks were still swimming in circles, dipping below the water and then rising again.

Katara hesitated, as though she didn't want to disturb him, but Zuko raised a hand to beckon her over.

She sat beside him, their knees touching. Zuko didn't mind. He was still grateful for her company.

The silence was too much for him though, and soon he found himself filling it.

"My mother used to bring me here to feed the turtle ducks." He said.

A breeze swept the hair back from his forehead, and Zuko raised his eyes to the red and purple sky. The comet had transformed the landscape into some twisted, apocalyptic sight. Once again, Zuko hoped his friends would be alright.

"What happened to her? Your mother?" Katara asked quietly.

He didn't look at her when he replied. Somehow he had not yet found the comfort he needed to look his friends in the eye when he revealed such personal things to them.

He began the story his father had told him all that time ago. Before he had found Aang and begun to train him.

Katara listened attentively and when he was done, she placed a hand on his knee in sympathy.

Once again, Zuko was reminded of what that hand had done for him today. Saved his life. He met Katara's eyes. "Thank you for healing me." He said.

She smiled, "I should be thanking you."

"What will happen now?" He wondered aloud.

"If all goes well," Katara swallowed, her eyes on the pond in front of them. "Then you'll become Fire Lord and we'll all be safe."

"Fire Lord." He whispered.

Katara patted his knee, "Don't worry about that now."

How she knew that he was worried, he wasn't sure. But Zuko was thankful that he never really needed to tell Katara how he felt. She always seemed to know him.

They sat in silence by the turtle duck pond until their time together ran out.

* * *

The roar of the crowd was almost deafening.

Zuko wished someone else was up here with him, on the dais before the crowd. His eyes found his friends, Aang, Sokka, Toph, Suki. Katara. He caught her eyes from where they stood among the throng of people, all of them lit up with bright smiles.

They had all returned safely, to Zuko's utter relief.

He had thought about what it would be like if one of them had not come back. How much guilt would plague him, knowing that his family were the reason they had been in danger in the first place.

He shook himself from his thoughts and managed a wave to the crowd. His friends had done their part. Now it was his turn.

He had the weight of all these eyes upon him. He had the trust of his people, of the people across the seas that now looked to him to change the way things had been, and it settled into a heaviness on his shoulders even as he stood tall to face the crowd.

* * *

"Tea?" Zuko offered the tray of steaming cups to his uncle. The old man smiled and accepted a cup, taking a sip. It brought Zuko such happiness to see his uncle alive and well. And for once, Zuko would not let him down.

He smiled and walked over to join his friends, offering tea to Aang and Toph on his way.

Friends.

It was still such a strange feeling to him. He had never really had friends. Still, as his eyes roamed the crowd of them in the small room they lounged in - everybody dressed in Earth Kingdom green, - he couldn't help but feel at home.

This was right.

His eyes paused on an empty space in the room. Then another.

Zuko turned to look for Aang and Katara and found the two of them on the balcony together. With a start, Zuko realised what must be happening.

A flush started at his neck and began to rise.

Zuko wasn't… good with romance.

It made him awkward and shifty, even when he was simply observing it occur between two other individuals. That was the extent of his discomfort with that particular topic.

He turned from the sight of the two on the balcony, and yet, he felt compelled to watch. Would she accept Aang's advances?

He had been blind to the feelings Aang held for Katara, until a conversation by the campfire with Sokka had revealed all, and Zuko had stored the information away. It was unimportant. The war was his first priority. His father and Azula were his first priority.

But now?

Zuko glanced at Aang and Katara. He watched as they embraced. Watched as their lips met.

Only then did he look away.

Now was no different.

His first priority was his people. He had to deal with his father and Azula still. He had a duty now he could not set aside.

Zuko did not look at Aang and Katara as they entered the room again, hand in hand. He did not pay them any extra attention, and yet the image of them together still swirled about his mind no matter how hard he tried to banish it.

* * *

Katara came to him afterwards. She came to him alone.

Zuko was removing the pin from his hair, standing in the cavernous room he had been given.

Not his father's room. But a new one, his own one. He couldn't bring himself to return to his old chambers either.

The knock sounded on the door, soft and timid. "Come in." He called, setting the golden flame pin down on the dresser.

A swish of fabric sounded from the door, and then a heavy thud signalled it's closing. He looked up at the mirror in front of him to find Katara in the reflection. Her green skirts brushed the floor as she walked towards him.

She looked uncomfortable, and Zuko could read that discomfort on her face and in her body.

"What is it?" He asked and turned to her.

She smiled softly, a sad smile that made his chest tighten. "We're leaving soon. I just wanted to come say goodbye."

Zuko blinked. How could he have forgotten? Of course they would return home. They wouldn't stay here with him.

"You came alone?" He asked, but it was more of a statement.

Katara nodded, "I wanted to say goodbye on my own first. Properly." She was flushed, embarrassed by her own desire to give him a goodbye that would only be between the two of them.

"You're going back home?" He asked, his eyes roaming her face. He couldn't seem to stop looking over her. Like he was taking in the memory of her before she left.

"I am." Katara smiled, they stepped up to one another, meeting in the middle of the room.

Suddenly, the image of her and Aang flooded his mind and Zuko opened his mouth before he could stop himself. "Will Aang go with you?"

At her puzzled expression, he explained awkwardly. "I mean… I saw you both today…" He trailed off.

Katara blushed, her hands clasped behind her back. "Yeah… I guess he will come with me. I don't know." She shrugged. "It happened so fast."

Something in her expression made him frown. "You don't seem happy."

Instantly, she straightened up, as though that could stop him from reading her so well and seeing that lingering unease in her expression.

"I'm fine. And you will be, too. I'll write to you." She smiled.

"Will you really?" He asked, an attempt at teasing to hopefully lighten this weight that settled in his stomach at the thought of never seeing his friends again.

He was being dramatic. As usual.

"I will try." Katara laughed, "And you'd better reply. I know you'll be the Fire Lord and you'll have lots of work to do, but you need to make time for your friends. And for me particularly." She grinned.

Zuko couldn't help it. "Why you in particular?"

Her grin faded and Zuko watched her expression flicker for a moment before she shrugged, "Because we saved each other's lives and that means something."

He couldn't help it when he reached out to her, stepping into her embrace. Her body was warm against his and when he closed his eyes, he could remember all the times he had noticed her scent. Salt, and clean cotton, and something floral.

Her hair brushed his nose and the sensation brought him back to the present. Katara was pulling away. Zuko watched as the red and green of their sleeves brushed against the other as their arms fell back to their sides.

Katara turned to go and Zuko almost thought she would go without a final look back at him, but she turned when she was at the door and waved.

Zuko stored away the memory of that smile for the times when he would feel most lonely.


	2. Breathe

Katara couldn't help her excitement. It had been years since she had returned to the Fire Nation, years since she had seen the progress there that they had started when Zuko became Fire Lord.

Most importantly, however, it had been years since she had seen said Fire Lord.

Finally, she would be accompanying Aang to the Fire Nation on one of his frequent trips. She had managed to set up her assistant with all she needed to keep her girls occupied.

Katara had gone home to the Southern Water Tribe with a mission, and over the past few years she had finally achieved it. She had opened up a school to teach girls how to fight.

In the last year, she had expanded the school to include non-benders, and Suki had had a large hand in helping the girls learn how to fight without bending.

Katara was proud of her work, and of her girls, but she had begun to feel restless of late. Almost as though she was looking for a change of scenery.

So when Aang had asked her to accompany him to the Fire Nation, she had gladly accepted. Even if she and Aang had not been doing as well as she had hoped.

She loved Aang, he was a good man and a kind soul. But he was also the Avatar. And Katara could not seem to come to terms with that dynamic that kept him so far away from her for long periods of time.

Eventually, she would want to settle down. She would want a partner who would be her equal. How could she ever be equal to the Avatar? How could she ever fulfil her own dreams, when her responsibility would be their children and his responsibility would be keeping peace in the world?

Katara couldn't answer these questions without her thoughts venturing to an outcome she was not yet prepared for.

Appa let out a soft groan, a familiar sound that instantly soothed her nerves at seeing Zuko again. Katara peered over the edge of the saddle and the clouds cleared away to reveal the crater where the Fire Nation palace was located.

Slowly, they began to descend, Aang's orange robes flapping around his form as the winds picked them up.

Katara had her hair free and the strands whipped around her face, obscuring her vision. When she pulled her hair back into her fist and looked down, she caught sight of a pale face, one side bearing that familiar scar.

A breath caught in her throat. Zuko looked different, and she kept her eyes on him as they landed in the courtyard. Katara realised it was the same courtyard where they had fought Azula together.

Zuko had grown out his hair, and the black wave of it hung down past his shoulders. Still, he wore that golden flame in the knot atop his head and it caught the afternoon light as they landed at the bottom of the staircase.

As they dismounted, Zuko strode down the staircase. He didn't look like a Fire Lord if Katara were being honest. He was still a young man, and he looked it. His clothes were form fitting, a version of the tunic he used to wear with a hint of armour combined in the outfit. He wore vambraces, a metal belt, shin guards and shoulder pads, all in a deep shade of red.

Aang smiled and went to hug his friend. "How have you been?" She heard him ask as she approached the two men. Zuko smiled and said something softly to Aang before he looked up at her.

His eyes were the same. And it was almost a relief. She could recognise this man now.

"Katara." He approached her with a confidence that was so unlike the Zuko she remembered. Katara immediately opened her arms to embrace him, and he held her tight. She was surprised by the strength of his hold on her, but she found that she did not mind the warmth of his arms, or the hard press of his chest against hers.

She struggled to keep the flush from her cheeks as she stepped back to look at him again. His own eyes scanned her face, taking in all the ways she had changed. Katara was a young woman now, not a girl anymore. And Zuko could tell, she was sure.

She could tell by the way he looked over her body quickly before turning away.

Still awkward as ever it seemed, despite his confident facade.

Aang grinned, "How long has it been since you've seen each other?" He asked as the three ascended the stairs.

"It's been a while." Zuko said, his eyes still lingering on Katara.

She nodded, "It has. What have you been up to since then?" She asked.

A small frown appeared at Zuko's brow as he thought, or perhaps he was remembering a more difficult time when the world was so unstable and he was trying to hold it all together. "I've established a healthy relationship with the Earth Kingdom, and through Aang I have all the contact I could need with the Air Nomads. My goal now is to build better relations with the Water Tribes." He said.

The three of them reached the entrance to the palace, and Katara was reminded of how she had walked in here all those years ago on the day of the comet. Zuko had been shaken then, only just stumbling into the role he was meant to take up.

She looked to him now. What else had changed about him?

Zuko led them through the palace to the chambers they would occupy for their short stay there. He left them alone and promised to return afterwards to debrief Aang on the situation with Yu Dao and the other previous Fire Nation colonies still in the Earth Kingdom.

Aang closed the door when Zuko left and turned to her. "So," He grinned, "What do you think of Zuko?" He asked.

Katara blinked, a little taken aback by the question. "He's different." She said.

"You can go on a tour with him tonight. I have to meet with the Earth King's delegation." Aang said, already donning his formal Air Nomad garb.

Katara removed the fur lined cloak she wore, unsuitable for the heat and humidity in the Fire Nation. "Did Zuko offer to give me a tour?" She asked.

"No, but he'll do it if you ask." Aang laughed.

Katara looked Aang over for a moment, words rising in her throat before she squashed them down and turned to the window to look out over the city.

* * *

Aang had been right. For when Zuko returned for her that evening, after walking Aang out of the palace and debriefing him, he immediately agreed to it when she mentioned her interest in a tour of the Fire Nation capital.

He was dressed informally, the same deep red tunic she was more familiar with. He walked quickly, his strides long and Katara struggled to keep up as they had marched towards the carriage that would take them into the city.

Now, with both of them seated opposite from one another, Katara was finding it difficult to figure out what to say to him.

"You didn't write." She blurted, and immediately cursed herself for saying it.

Zuko blinked, his golden eyes gleaming each time they passed a lamplight outside.

"You didn't either."

"I thought you would be too busy."

Zuko's lips quirked up at the corners, "I was. But you said you would write before you left."

Katara frowned at him, but before she could speak, he went on.

"You look different. Your hair-" He paused as his eyes roamed over her neck, "At least you're still wearing blue. And that necklace." He nodded to her mother's betrothal necklace that Katara still wore.

She held back a laugh at the history of this necklace, and how he had played a role in it. "I could always lend it to you if you still feel attached."

Zuko smiled, and it was another difference in him that Katara could not seem to adjust to. He never really smiled before.

But now, she had wished she could have seen it more often. He had a bright smile, a kind smile. And the way it crinkled his eyes and relaxed his brow made it all the more appealing.

"I couldn't take it from you a second time." He murmured.

There was a moment of silence as Katara looked out the window. "Where are we going?" She asked.

Just then the carriage began to slow, and Zuko nodded to the window. "A cafe." He said. "I thought you might be hungry. Then we can see the city and head back."

The carriage pulled to a stop, and Katara climbed out after him.

The cafe was a surprise. It was warmly lit and had a small outdoor seating area that was cordoned off from the street by a wrought iron fence. Inside, a small glass counter displayed baked goods and the names of Fire Nations dishes lined a banner that hung above the counter.

Zuko led her in, but the cafe was relatively empty and nobody seemed to pay him much attention.

"Do you trust me?" He asked her suddenly.

Katara blinked in confusion, then realised what he meant. "You're going to order for me?" She asked incredulously.

Again, that smile brushed over his lips and Katara felt her stomach tighten.

"I will. Go find a seat." He strode towards the counter, greeting the young girl behind it with a nod.

Katara found herself heading towards a far corner. She sat down to wait for Zuko to return, and when he did he carried a tray with two steaming bowls of noodle soup and a cup of tea for each of them.

It was such a strange sight - the Fire Lord serving her noodles - that Katara had to hold back a snort.

He sat down and glanced up at her, "What?" He asked.

"This is strange." She paused, "Right?"

He raised a brow, "Why is it strange?"

"You're the Fire Lord."

"And you're one of the best waterbending masters in the Water Tribe. I heard about your school." He said, picking up his soup spoon to begin eating.

Katara did the same, and the first taste of the salty and spicy broth made her mouth water. "I'm proud of how it's turned out." She said, "I didn't think many people would join."

"Why?"

"I didn't know if I could change things there. When I first started I was worried it would be a fruitless endeavour."

"But it wasn't." Zuko said. "You've done well. Are you happy?" He asked. He seemed to be lost in thought, and Katara watched as he shook himself out of it and cleared his throat. "I mean, are you happy with where you are now? With how things have gone?"

She swallowed her next bite and then replied, "I am." She hesitated, "But I feel restless. Like I need to be moving on soon."

At this, Zuko looked up at her curiously. "Moving on where?" He asked.

"I don't know."

"Perhaps to where Aang and his Air Nomads are?" He asked.

Immediately, Katara shook her head. The answer came so instinctively that she had no choice but to own up to it. She couldn't backtrack and pretend that her relationship with Aang was doing well. She watched Zuko as he seemed to realise what she meant.

His brows rose, but his face was schooled into a neutral expression. "You don't love him." He said.

It was such a certain statement that Katara wondered where he had read it in her face. Perhaps her eyes had given it away. Or the way she had frozen entirely when Aang had been mentioned.

With a small nod, she looked down at the bowl of noodles.

"That's fine. I know Aang and I are good friends, Katara." Zuko murmured, "But we are friends, too."

She looked up at him and Zuko offered her a hesitant smile. It was enough to lift her spirits.

"We saved each others lives." He said softly, his eyes on the bowl in front of him.

"That has to mean something."

* * *

Katara couldn't stop thinking about her conversation with Zuko and what had transpired afterwards. He had taken her to see a few places in the city, but what had stood out the most for her had been the history museum.

She had looked over the Fire Nation posters and propaganda, the leaflets and the portraits of past Fire Lords.

She had even seen a rather wonderful rendition of Zuko himself, although he had been embarrassed by it and urged her to move on to the next artwork.

Despite their loss in the war, the Fire Nation did not try to erase that history. Katara was glad, because she knew now what they had believed back then, and she could see the differences in them now.

Still, when she returned to her room that night, Aang asleep on one side of the bed, she couldn't help but play back the conversation Zuko had had with her in the carriage on their way back.

 _"You said you were not sure where you should go next." Zuko murmured, sitting across from her again as the carriage rumbled down the cobbled streets. It was late, and there weren't many people around and the quiet of the city was strange, but pleasant._

 _"I did. I'm not sure where I can go." Katara said._

 _Their voices were low for some reason, as though neither one of them wanted to disturb the peace around them or between them._

 _"You could always come here." Zuko said._

 _Katara met his eyes, but found no sign of falsehood in them._

 _"Really?" She asked._

 _He nodded, and shrugged one shoulder, "Sure. I just-" He hesitated. "I just want you to know that you will always have a place here. If you want it."_

Katara lay awake that night, replaying those words in her mind. She glanced at Aang beside her. He was fast asleep, his breathing even.

It wasn't often that she saw him like this. He was away for so long, and so frequently, that the only time they shared a bed was when they were visiting another place. Katara had her own space in the Southern Water Tribe, and Aang had his place with his Air Nomads.

What she had said to Zuko had been honest. It had been right. She did not think she loved Aang anymore.

When they had gotten together after the war, it had felt inevitable. It had felt like there was no other path to take. But now, when she thought back on that time, it had been so unstable. They had just fought in a war, had almost died, and all the time she knew Aang had not exactly been the most peaceful either.

Perhaps she had agreed because Aang had wanted it so badly. Perhaps she did not know that things could be different.

Katara shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to sleep, and yet her thoughts kept her awake until the sky outside lightened and only then did she finally drift off.


	3. Cry

Zuko was not bored.

He insisted that he was not when his mother asked him after each day. This was his duty, and though it may - in truth - be boring him to absolute death, to admit that even in his own mind was a defeat.

So, he remained straight-backed and watched his Council go back and forth in regards to the upkeep of the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom.

One Councilman named Li had just presented a reformation on the education system, with help from the Avatar, Zuko would review it in the next moon.

More work to do, and only one mind to review it all. Zuko wasn't sure if he could keep this up.

And now he was a man. His Councilmen and advisors had been leaving subtle hints, but Zuko had picked up on all of them. They were glaringly obvious to him, and it made him greatly uncomfortable. They wanted him to marry.

Pick a girl, have an heir, secure the throne and bring peace to your people. They could sleep easier knowing that their nation was stable.

But Zuko couldn't bring himself to give it much thought. He had too much to do. And if he were honest with himself, he didn't want to marry. Yet alone a stranger that he would not know. His mother hadn't been keen on the idea either, but she had been level-headed enough to argue the Council's point.

Zuko wasn't…good with romance.

He was startled from his stupor when a servant knocked on the main doors of the high-ceilinged hall they occupied, sending a disjointed sound that echoed about the room.

He nodded to the servant to approach, and waited patiently as the senior man walked around the long, low-set table to reach Zuko's position at the head.

The man leaned in to whisper something in his ear, and Zuko blinked his surprise. He looked around the table. "We'll adjourn this meeting for the day. Councilman Li, your reform to me by the end of the night, please." He said, and stood.

Immediately, the Council stood and waited patiently for Zuko to leave the room before they too would disperse.

He marched down the corridors till he got to the main entrance. If what the servant said was true, then it was almost poetic that she had arrived at this entrance to the palace.

One of the large main doors was open, letting in a stream of bright light. Zuko could barely believe his eyes as he watched her silhouette step into the rectangle of light. Her long hair was braided down her back, in the same style he had seen on her all those years ago.

She wore blue, of course. And carried with her a rucksack. It was that that caught his eye.

"Katara?" He called.

She turned her head and her eyes found his. Involuntarily, her gaze stopped him in his tracks.

"Zuko." She stepped through the door and the warm light of the foyer wafted over her, bringing her into his world. "Hi." She greeted.

It was that word that drew him from his thoughts. He watched her shift on her feet, and that nervous smile she had on her face told him enough.

"This is a nice surprise." He smiled.

"I hope I haven't disturbed you."

"No." Zuko blurted. A lie, but he didn't want her to feel bad. "I see you have a bag with you." He approached her, "How long will you be staying here?"

She blinked those blue eyes at him, surprise colouring her features. "Um. If it's okay-"

"It is."

She opened her mouth to continue, her eyes wide. "I'm not sure when I'm leaving."

When she offered no further explanation, Zuko nodded. "Follow me. I'll find you a bedroom." He said, and turned to lead her through the palace.

She caught up to him, walking beside him, and Zuko reached over to take her bag. Katara allowed him.

Perhaps it was the lack of teasing coming from her that made him realise just how uncomfortable she was. She seemed off somehow. It made him feel strange, and there was a strange need to remedy it.

"Are you tired?" He asked.

She glanced at him, "No. Not really."

"You could join me for training. If you wanted to." He said, stopping at a pair of double doors that led to the guest bedroom just down the hall from his own.

Katara offered him a small smile, and it eased some of that discomfort in him. "Sure. I'll be ready soon."

"Good. I'll meet you out here. My room is just down the hall." He said, pointing to his own bedroom.

They parted ways, and Zuko fled to the safety of his room. He got dressed into his training garb, opting for a shirt this time.

It was all a little strange. Katara turning up on his doorstep, with a bag and no plans for when she was to leave.

He didn't mind that she was here. In fact, it may alleviate some of his persistent boredom. But he worried that she would be uncomfortable, that he could not make her stay enjoyable.

Perhaps the training would help them both loosen up.

He met her in the hallway, his tunic loose around his torso, and his long hair loose around his face. She had her hair braided still, and wore something a little more comfortable.

"Do you have any warmer clothes?" He asked her, both of them starting down the hallway together.

"A few." She said, her hand lifting to tuck her hair behind her ear.

That gesture alone made him quicken his pace.

They got to the practice ground, a concrete courtyard framed by covered walkways. He took his place opposite her, both of them giving the other space. Immediately, he loosened up and then tensed.

He watched her undo the cap of the water pouch she kept at her hip at all times. He watched as she slid a steady stream of clear liquid from the pouch, and instinctually his hand lifted, a flame forming in his palm.

Zuko relaxed, finding that familiar place within his bending. Still, he was aware of Katara where she stood across from him. And he let her attack first.

She sent her jet of water directly at him, and she broke out into a sprint towards him. The water crossed the courtyard in seconds, and Zuko spun aside, his flames leaping out to reach her, parallel to her jet of water.

Katara diverted her stream of water to cut across his flame. In a second, she had leapt above the steam, a pathway of ice forming just before her feet touched it.

Zuko clenched his fists, and leapt into a running jump. Jets of flame beneath his feet propelled him up into her path as she came down at him. He swept an arc of fire towards her. He heard her grunt, just as the ice melted beneath her feet and she fell, dodging his attack.

He seemed to realise only then that he was airborne without a path of ice to take his fall. He flipped, rolling as he hit the ground. The hard stone was almost welcome to his body. He would savour the bruises it left behind.

Zuko flipped up onto his feet, an arc of fire flying out around him. Katara broke through with a wall of water, and she sprinted towards him.

He couldn't help but grin, as she formed ice shards in the air. He watched as they shot towards him, a wall of flame melting them mid air.

He breathed out a soft laugh, chest heaving from the effort. Katara smiled, and he could see the change in her already.

"You've gotten better. If that was even possible." He said with a smile.

Katara laughed, a sound that made him grin a little wider. "You've gotten rusty."

"Oh, definitely." He nodded, reaching back to rub his shoulder. He could feel how tender his flesh was, a jab of pain going through him that he relished. "I'm glad you're here to help me get back into it."

"Oh? This is going to be a regular occurrence, then?"

Zuko could feel the heat creep up his neck, then he shook himself free of his nervousness. "I would like it. But you don't have to. I just thought since you're going to be here a while, we could make it a routine."

Katara smiled, "Not a bad idea." She laughed.

He nodded and the two of them began the walk inside. "You going to tell me why you're here?" He asked.

She sighed, "I broke things off with Aang. I thought it was about time. I was leading him on." She murmured. "And you offered me a place here."

Zuko remembered that conversation. He had been so nervous that his leg had been jerking beneath the table. He almost thought he would knock over the table and spill their food all over the floor.

"I'm glad you took me up on my offer." He smiled. "I'll still be working closely with Aang on a few things. He may be around."

"We aren't on bad terms." Katara said quickly, their footsteps resounding down the hallway they strode through. "I just needed a change of scenery."

"Of course." He stopped outside her room. Katara's room. Zuko bit back a smile at the thought. "I'll let you rest." He said, and despite the ache in his shoulder there was a spring in his step as he returned to his room.

* * *

He was out in the garden, the sun setting behind the high roofs of the palace. He could see the orange light filtering in, the last bits of it illuminating the soft ripples across the pond.

The turtle-ducks remembered him, and he was grateful. His mother would come sit with him by the pond sometimes, like they used to. It was often quiet between them, but Zuko didn't mind. He wasn't much of a talker.

Still, he would appreciate some company. Somebody who was like him.

Perhaps a wife would be a good idea?

Immediately, he recoiled from the thought and frowned at the pond. A _wife_. He wasn't even close to being ready for that sort of commitment, and the challenge it would bring.

And children.

Zuko put it from his mind. He couldn't venture into that territory. In fact, he was meant to be concentrating on the dossier open in his lap. The words had too soon begun to blur into squiggly lines. He would have to catch up tomorrow when he could focus better.

He heard her before he saw her. The footsteps were different. Not the shuffling gate of the older servants or Councilmen, not the soft pats of young feet, or the light gait of a maid. There was something unique about the way Katara strode.

Long legs took up more space than most, and she didn't try to quieten her footfalls the way his mother did. From years of practice, most likely. From years of her life in this palace when she had tried to go unnoticed.

Katara rounded the bend and stepped out from the covered walkway. She was looking straight at him, and Zuko felt himself straighten subconsciously.

"I knew I'd find you here." She said.

Her voice was too loud for this place. He raised a hand in a stationary wave.

"What's that?" Katara asked, seating herself beside him. Their knees touched, and Zuko was brought back to that first time they had sat here together.

"Education reform. The last draft, hopefully." He said, offering her the dossier to read.

She peered over, leaning in close to get a look. "Aang mentioned this once."

Zuko nodded, "He was very enthusiastic about it."

She sat back and Zuko worried that he had made her uncomfortable again. But when she spoke he could only detect curiosity in her tone.

"What are you enthusiastic about?" She asked.

He thought for a moment. "Sleep."

Katara burst out laughing, startling the turtle-ducks. Zuko didn't mind. Not one bit. He liked making her laugh, he decided.

"Sleep? But you're the Fire Lord!"

"I am. That's why I'm enthusiastic about what little sleep I get."

"No land reform bills that caught your fancy?"

Zuko chuckled, "What about you?" He asked. "What is your new mission?"

Katara paused and gazed at the pond. She plucked some bread from the loaf he had brought along with him, and she tossed the crumbs into the water for the turtle-ducks.

"I want to try something new."

Zuko waited for her to continue speaking.

"I-" She hesitated, "I want to try to set up a cross-nation programme. Water Tribe, both male and female volunteers, would travel here to practice healing. I think it would be a good idea. What's the point of having healing capabilities if you only use it on your own people? Eventually, we would branch out into the Earth Kingdom, too."

Zuko blinked. It was a good idea. And it fit in with the new world he wanted to build. A multi-nation city. It was exactly the sort of thing his people needed after so many years of war.

"Yes." He said.

Katara's brows rose. "Really?"

"Yes." He looked to her, "Katara it's a great idea. I will help anyway I can."

She smiled to him, her eyes lit up with that familiar expression he had only just realised he'd missed.

"But you're so busy, Zuko. I don't want you to be overwhelmed."

"Oh, I'm already overwhelmed." He said, waving a dismissive hand.

"Let me help, then. I helped my father in the Southern Water Tribe. And I worked with the Earth King."

Zuko thought it over. He did need help. And if he trusted anybody to help him, it would be Katara. He did need a partner, after all.

"Okay. I could use your advice. And a fresh pair of eyes." He nodded, and held out his hand to her.

Katara shook it, looking much happier than he had seen her all day. He had given her a purpose again. Katara wasn't the sort of person who could sit still when there was work to be done.

And neither was he.

He turned back to the dossier, Katara reading over his shoulder. A peaceful silence settled around them, an echo to the feeling in Zuko's chest.


End file.
